Daddy's Girl
by trillium33
Summary: Just a little fluff as a companion piece to Daddy's Work. In three parts. Um - maybe four.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Just some fluff as a companion piece to "Daddy's Work". It was meant for Father's Day, and of course, is late. It's dedicated to my own father, a man's man who had daughter after daughter and acted as if he'd won the lottery every time. _

_This one posts in three short parts._

_**Daddy's Girl**_

**Part I: Son and Father**

"Hey."

It wasn't that he hadn't noticed the shadow in the garage doorway, but with Don it was usually better to let him announce himself. Let him feel like he was in control.

"Donnie." Alan finished loading the laundry and glanced up as though just figuring out that he was there, accepted the proffered beer. "Thanks." He took a sip, surreptitiously trying to read his expression before adding, "So how did the ultrasound go? Everything okay?"

Don nodded, taking a swallow of his own beer. "Yeah. Everything looked good. Normal. Right on schedule."

"All right!" He clicked the neck of his beer against Don's, face splitting into a smile. "Great news! Congratulations!" There was something off in Don's expression and he pressed cautiously, "Isn't it?"

"Huh?" Don blinked at him as though he had been thinking of something else. "Oh. Yeah. Great. Great news." He took another slow swallow, face pensive, reached aimlessly for a pool cue.

Alan studied him, a little concerned. "And Robin. Everything is all right with her? Clean bill of health?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. She's doing great, doctor says. Gained just the right amount of weight. Y'know - perfect."

"That's good." Alan prompted. Silence was the response, and he resisted the urge to use one of the dirty towels to strangle information out of his eldest. Really, it had often seemed to him that the Almighty, or whoever was in charge up there, could have been a little more even handed when splitting verbosity between Donnie and Charlie. "So…?"

"Huh?" Don looked up from the pool cue he was maneuvering.

Alan nearly lost his battle with the towel. "You seem to have something on your mind."

"Oh." Don's expression was so peculiar that Alan didn't know what to think. "No - um - no. I - they, um - um. It's a girl. We're having a girl."

"A girl!" Alan's grin grew. "That's wonderful! Congratulations." He waited, puzzled by Don's face. "It _is_ wonderful, isn't it?"

"Huh? Oh, sure - yeah. Of course. It's great."

"I see. And you look like a condemned man because…?"

Don's flush of embarrassment would have been amusing under other circumstances. "I - no. It's great. I just - I mean, what do I know about raising a girl?"

_Ah. _"You didn't know anything about raising a boy, either, but you're a great dad to Joshie."

Don shrugged restlessly. "That's different. Josh is a guy. I get him. My whole life I've been around guys - sports teams, school, the minors - even Charlie's a guy." He glanced over to the middle of the garage, where Charlie was absorbedly alternating between his laptop and the chalk boards. "I mean, you know, more or less."

Charlie glanced up at that. "Hey," he protested absently.

Don ignored him. "I don't know anything about what to do with a girl."

Alan raised his brows. "Don Eppes, not knowing what to do with a girl. That's a first."

Don shot him a scowl. "Funny. You know what I mean. I'm really - I'm concerned. I just don't know if I'm up to it." He palmed a ball, watched as it ricocheted off the felt bumpers of the table.

Alan abandoned the laundry and picked up a pool cue himself. "You supervise women all the time on your team. Is it any different from supervising men?"

Don frowned, then shrugged. "Not really."

"Then what makes you think this will be? Just treat her like you do Josh."

"Yeah, but - " he slid the cue through his fingers. "I'm not their dad. They don't bring me their girl problems."

"What makes you think she'll be bringing you her girl problems? What do you think Robin will be doing all this time?"

He sighed. "I guess."

"You know what I think? I think you're worried that you'll have a daughter and you'll have to deal with guys like you coming around."

Don scowled. "Not funny," he objected, setting up a rack of balls.

"There are a lot of nice things about having a daughter, I hear. They're never too old to hug you. They're never too old to call you daddy. And if you think raising a couple of boys was a day at the beach, well, think again."

Both Don and Charlie looked up at that. "Hey," they protested in unison.

_Part II tomorrow_


	2. Chapter 2

**Part II: Father and Mother**

"What do you think of Sara?"

Robin didn't glance up from the brief she was highlighting. "Sara who?"

There was a short silence that told her she had missed something, then, "Eppes. Sara Eppes. For a girl. It means _'princess'_."

That got her attention, and she put down her highlighter and looked directly at him. "It means - ? How do you know what it means?"

The look this time was outright offended. "I _read_ it. Why does everybody act like I'm a functional illiterate? I read. And not just the sports page."

She tried not to smile. "I know you read. I just didn't think you read baby name books. Or is this a Torah thing?"

He directed a frown at her over the report he was perusing. "I don't reveal my sources. If you don't like it, just say so."

She rolled it over in her mind. "I think I do. But - I guess I just assumed - no Margaret?"

He looked away and she enjoyed watching the flush spread from his ears, down his throat and over his chest.

"I don't want you to feel obligated."

"I don't. I like it. We could do Sara Margaret. Or Margaret Sara, and call her Sara."

"Or some nickname, like Sallie. Or Sadie. Save Dad the trouble of trying to figure out where to add the 'ie'."

"I like Sadie." She set the brief on the nightstand and studied him more closely. "So. You're okay with this whole girl thing?"

He met her gaze suspiciously. "Of course I am. What makes you think I wouldn't be?"

She brushed a hand over his hair, enjoying the silky feel against her fingers. "Your dad said you were a little concerned."

"Hmph." He mumbled something, but the only words she could make out were 'family' and 'big mouth'. "So what do you guys do, have a control center? Send out an alert? Code Black! Agent confused! Agent confused!"

She laughed. "He called to congratulate me. It came up in conversation. So, are you? Concerned?"

He blew out a breath. "A little," he admitted reluctantly. "What, you're not?"

"I don't know - I haven't thought about it. It's not like it's our first."

"It's our first girl."

"Well, yes. But it can't be that much of a shock. There's a fifty-fifty chance, after all."

"Uh-uh." Don shook his head wisely. "Not really. I have it on good authority that it's much more complicated than that. For example, the man determines the sex of the child and I'm one of two boys. My dad's family ran to boys, too. So we have a higher probability of multiple boys than even one girl. With a little more research, we could know exactly how much higher."

"Ah. Charlie." Robin nodded. "I think I'll pass. Since we already know we're having a girl."

"How accurate are those things, anyway?"

"Ultrasounds? Well, we can be fairly sure it's not a boy, or our son is missing some pretty important equipment."

Don huffed a laugh. "Then I guess I'd better suck it up and hope it's a girl."

"Hm." She studied his expression. "You really think it makes that much difference?"

"I don't know." He shrugged and made a face. "It _feels_ different."

"Because, for example, raising two boys like you and Charlie was exactly the same?"

"Touché."

"I have to believe it's a new adventure every time, whatever the sex."

"I guess so."

"You don't sound convinced."

"I don't - " He made a face. "Me and the opposite sex. I have a history of a - lot of - bad - endings."

Her face softened. "Somehow, I don't think that's going to be a problem. Want to know my greatest fear?" He looked at her questioningly. "Becoming the _second_ most important woman in your life."

He leaned over and kissed her. "Never happen."

She took a deep breath. "No, I think so. In a way. I think I'm okay with it."

"C'mere." He stretched out an arm and she snuggled into it, letting her head rest under his chin.

She closed her eyes contentedly and smiled a little at the feel of another kiss on her hair, frowned suddenly as something she'd glimpsed out of the corner of her eye registered. She opened one eye again to check.

"Don Eppes," she said accusingly, "You have a baby name book hidden in those reports."

"What?" He grinned at her, looking both sly and a little guilty. "What are you talking about?"

"_This_." She made a snatch for it as he moved to slam the reports shut, wrestled it away. It wasn't as satisfying a wrestling match as their usual, she knew he held back due to her condition: so she was soon waving the paperback under his nose and thumbing through it efficiently. "Let's see…what does the name _'Don'_ mean…?" She slid down until her head rested comfortably in his lap. "Here it is…" She read for a moment, dodging his sneaky attempt to snatch the book back. "Just as I thought. It means _'guy who seems tough as nails on the outside, but is a big, squishy marshmallow on the inside' _- perfect fit."

"It does not mean that. And I'm tough as nails through and through."

She snorted in response.

"C'mon - what does it really mean?"

She glanced up from the book. "You didn't look?" He shook his head. "_Everybody_ looks up their name. Sheesh. You probably don't read your horoscope either."

"Well. No. But I don't get the connection."

"_Don_, not _Donald_, right?"

"Right."

"They mean the same thing anyway." She chuckled. "_World Ruler_. Don't let that one go to your head."

He grinned. "I like it."

"I'll bet."

"So what does _Robin_ mean?"

"Hm…let's see…_Bright Fame_."

"Sounds about right."

She sighed. "You're right. Our kid needs a good name." She looked at the book in her hand again, noticing that the cover was bright and uncreased. "This is brand new. What made you buy it?"

She felt his chest heave by her ear as he blew out a quiet breath, waited patiently for an answer.

"I - I stopped by to see the Rabbi today."

"The Rabbi."

"I thought he might - be able to give me some insight into raising a girl."

She lowered the book. "You were that worried? And you talked to your dad and the Rabbi, but not to me?"

The sigh was deeper this time, the answer longer in coming. "I didn't want you to think that I was - disappointed or something."

She held very still. "And - are you?"

"_No_." The tone was emphatic. "No. I just don't want to screw up some poor, unsuspecting kid. What if I'm a terrible dad and she grows up to be one of those women who hates men?"

Robin chuckled. "I don't think that's going to happen."

"Well, I'm glad you're so confident."

"I am." She reached for his hand. "So. What did the Rabbi have to say?"

"Mazal tov."

"Ha ha. I'm guessing there was a little more. I may be married to the only Jewish boy in the world who doesn't love to talk."

"Stereotype."

She snorted again. "If you say so. So?"

When he didn't answer right away, she glanced up at his face, was a little puzzled by his expression, a mixture of shyness and…something else.

"He said…that when the Torah tells us that Abraham was blessed with everything? _'Everything'_ means that he was given a baby girl."

Robin felt a rush of moisture flood her eyes, and this time she was the one to turn her face away. _Damn hormones. _"Go on."

"He said that girls are very important, because at every crucial point of Jewish history, it's Jewish women who have come to the forefront to save the Jewish people: like Judith, and Esther at Purim, and Yael at Chanukah."

"Hm." Robin ran her fingers over his palm, noting the familiar calluses, as if she was reading Braille. "Tell me about them."

"Um - well - Judith was a beautiful widow. She was angry that the Jewish people wouldn't rise up and overthrow a tyrant who dominated them. So she put aside her widow's blacks and decked herself out and attracted the tyrant, won his confidence. Then, when he was comfortable with her, she got him drunk and cut off his head. Brought the head back to the Jews to show them that they had nothing to fear. Then she went back to her mourning clothes. Never remarried."

"Huh," Robin nodded her approval. "Undercover work. Go, Judith. How about Yael?"

"Different time, similar story. The Captain of the Army trying to conquer the Jews was losing, fled the battlefield. He came across Yael's camp and she recognized him and invited him into her tent to rest, fed him milk. Then, while he was sleeping…"

"Let me guess. She cut off his head?"

"No. She took a mallet and drove a tent stake through his temple. Pinned his skull right to the ground." He thought a minute. "_Then_ she cut off his head."

Robin shifted in his lap, getting more comfortable. "Subterfuge and decisive action. I'm liking these women as role models for our daughter."

"Yeah? Me and Josh'll havta watch our step."

She chuckled. "Go on. What about Esther?"

"Esther…another beautiful woman, married to a king. He didn't know she was a Jew. This evil guy - Haman - was plotting to kill all the Jews."

"Why is it that, all through history, it seems like somebody's always plotting to do that?"

"Beats me. Just lucky, I guess. Anyway, she uses strategy to keep the king on her side and to reveal Haman's evil."

"Then she cuts off his head?"

Don laughed. "No, Ms. Bloodthirsty. He's condemned to death on his own gallows - one he built to kill her uncle Mordecai."

"Hoist on his own petard. Even better. She used her smarts and the law."

"Yeah." Don bent down to brush a kiss over her lips. "Must be why I'm always attracted to smart women who pack heat."

She reached up and tangled a hand in his hair, keeping him there. "Must be," she murmured against his mouth. "Go on."

"Nothing. He just said - he said that naming a baby girl is a profound spiritual moment. That it's a statement of not only what she will be, but where she comes from. That's why she's given the name of a relative who's passed on: both to honor the deceased so that they can live on and be remembered, and so that the baby can take on the good qualities of the deceased. Make a connection to the past."

Robin released his hair, but kept her hand on his cheek as he straightened again.

"Anyway, the Talmud says that an angel will come and whisper to the parents the name the girl will embody. I figured if an angel tried that, I probably wouldn't be able to hear it over the comlink in my ear, so I bought the book."

She ran a thumb over his cheekbone, thinking. "Sara Margaret," she said at last. "Sadie for short."

"You sure?" He looked a little anxious.

"Mm hm. _Princess_ sounds right for the daughter of _World Ruler _and _Bright Fame_. And your mom and I share a love of the law…and a love of a certain man. Seems like somebody I'd like to have form a spiritual bond with our daughter."

His legs moved under her. When he spoke, his voice sounded a little foggy. "You don't believe in that stuff."

She moved her thumb over his lips this time, tracing the outline. "I don't _not_ believe in it. So I think I'll hedge my bets. Sara Margaret. Oh!" She jumped, then laughed. "She kicked me! I don't know whether that means she objects, or she likes it!"

Don spread a hand over her abdomen to feel, long fingers massaging lightly.

Robin placed her hand on top of his, smiled to herself as the squirming seemed to settle down and grow quiet. "Besides, I have a feeling she's Daddy's little princess already."

_Part III tomorrow_

_* Thoughts on naming Jewish baby girls inspired by discourse from Rabbi Simmons_


	3. Chapter 3

**Part III: Father and Son**

"Right there - that one. See? E-P-P-E-S. You can read that, right?"

The small head bobbed tentatively, fingers firmly jammed into his mouth. Don glanced at them, shifted him a little higher for a better view. The finger sucking was a habit he'd given up on about a year and a half ago, only reverted to when he was sleepy. Or worried.

"Not so scary, right? I mean, not for a couple of tough guys like us, huh?"

The narrow face rumpled into a frown, fingers still firmly in place.

"Of course, if she's anything like your mom, she'll be able to kick both our tails in no time."

This time he was rewarded with a giggle, muffled by the fingers. _That was more like it. _"So. Whattaya think?"

The thin shoulders shrugged. Then the fingers popped free. "There's a lot."

"Yeah. Yeah, there are. But we only get to keep the one."

"Oh." The fingers snuk back in, were gnawed thoughtfully. "Do you have a sister, Daddy?"

"Me? No, no. Daddy just has a brother. Your Uncle Charlie."

"Not Aunt 'Mita?"

"Well…Aunt Mita is sort of my sister, but just because she married your Uncle Charlie. Daddy didn't grow up with Aunt Mita, and Poppy isn't her father. I grew up with your Uncle Charlie."

"Oh." The fingers emerged again. "Can I have a brother instead?"

"Oh. Hm." Don ran a hand over the dusky curls. "Maybe someday. But right now, you have a sister."

The fingers returned to the pursed mouth, the sucking slow and thoughtful. "Can we trade her?" he suggested hopefully.

Don laughed before he could stop himself. "You mean, for a brother? No, sorry, pal - that's not how it works. She's ours to keep."

"Oh." The small face buried itself in his neck and he ran a hand soothingly through the fuzz of curls. "Hey - come on - it's not so bad. Look, I wasn't so sure about your Uncle Charlie at first either, but he grew on me. And believe me, I made some offers to trade him, too."

The head sprang up at that, face skeptical. "For a sister?!"

"Uh…no. I was actually jonesing for a puppy. Don't - " He held up a finger as the small face brightened. "get any ideas." The face returned to his neck. Don patted between the sharp little shoulder blades sympathetically. "So, you wanna see how Mommy's doin'?" He felt the nod against his neck.

They were halfway down the corridor when a tiny voice piped, "Danny has a sister."

Don stopped midstep and tried to catch a look at his face. "That's right, he does. You guys have a man-to-man about this?" He couldn't get a glimpse of his expression, but felt another nod. "Yeah? What does Danny have to say about it?"

The head lifted at that, eyes aggrieved. "He says she gets in his stuff."

"Oh." Don grimaced, started walking again. "Yeah. That may actually be genetic, too. Daddy'll see what he can do to make sure that doesn't happen, okay?" He felt a sigh against his collarbone as he pushed through the swinging door.

"Mommy!" The compact form stretched over Don's arm, reaching for the figure in the hospital bed.

"Hey, sweetheart." Robin held out her hands to accept him from Don and kissed his cheek before turning her head to give Don a more lingering kiss on the mouth. "Mommy missed you. Did you see your new sister?"

"Uh huh." He nodded, snuggling against her.

"That's good." She raised her brows at Don before turning back to him. "How did you like her?"

He shrugged, cuddling closer.

"He was considering a trade," Don explained.

"Oh." Robin smiled.

"I explained that she was part of the contract."

Robin kissed the dark rings rimming the soft hairline. "I think you'll get to like her. And now you're a big brother, like your daddy. That's nice, isn't it?"

The forehead puckered in a frown. "Daddy has a brother," he grumbled accusingly.

Robin rolled her eyes at Don. "You Eppes men. Still. You're both big brothers. That's kind of cool, don't you think?"

"Uh huh," begrudgingly.

"Uh huh. So. How are things at home? You and Daddy taking good care of each other?"

The curls bobbed. "We made pancakes."

She smiled, rocking him a little. "Bet that was fun, huh?"

"Uh huh…"

"…and boy, can this kid eat."

She twinkled at him over Josh's head. "Clearly takes after his father in that respect."

Don grinned at her. "How's the newest little Eppes doing?"

Robin made a face. "She also takes after her father in that respect. The way she eats, she's going to be big enough to be a linebacker."

Don nodded in satisfaction. "Good. I like to think of her being able to take care of herself. You never know - she might have to lop off somebody's head someday. After all, she's gorgeous. Must get that from her mommy."

"Yes, I'm sure Mommy looks especially gorgeous right now. I can't remember the last time I actually combed my hair."

Don narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't know…kinda like the tousled look."

Robin opened her mouth to answer, glanced down at the silky head cradled on her shoulder and closed it again, then nodded as the door swung inward. "And speak of the devil. Looks like somebody's hungry. _Again_."

"Let me take her. Give you a couple of minutes with Josh. C'mere, sweetie." The nurse shifted the blanketed bundle into his arms. "So, Josh, you wanna closer look?"

Josh looked a little dubious, fingers creeping back into his mouth.

"C'mon - she's not so bad - see?" Don lowered the swaddle of blanket until he could get a closer look.

Josh studied the squirming figure curiously, fingers gradually sliding free. After a second, he touched tentatively, nose wrinkling at the sensation. "She's small," he decided.

"Yeah, not much to her. But she'll be big before you know it."

"As big as me?"

"Probably not as big as you." Don straightened, eyes fixed on the miniature peach-shaped face. "Just don't make the mistake of underestimating her, just because she's smaller." He peered closer, rocking gently to and fro. "Say, do you think she's going to have your blue eyes?"

Robin watched him over Josh's head, a faint smile on her face. "Too soon to tell. But I think she's got your curly hair."

"Yeah?" Don ran a finger over the clump of fuzz dusting the tiny head. "You think?"

"Mm hm."

"Huh." He bent close, lips brushing the silken ear. "Don't worry, sweetie," he whispered. "As soon as you're big enough? I'll get you the best buzz cut in town."

"Don Eppes!" Robin tried not to laugh. "You will NOT buzz cut our daughter's hair!"

"Of course not." He looked supremely innocent. "I'll leave that to the professionals."

"Don!" She groaned. "Just great. Our children will be bald."

"Naw - there'll be plenty of hair left. Thick hair runs in my family." He traced a fingertip over the faintly marked brows. "You realize we won't have them outnumbered any more. Tactical disadvantage."

"Lucky thing I know someone who's something of a tactical genius."

He grinned. "They don't teach you this kind of combat at Quantico."

"That's okay - you're a creative thinker. I have faith in you. A couple of armed felons…a couple of kids hopped up on sugar…what's the difference, really?"

"I have a vest for one situation, none for the other."

She chuckled. "So. Still worried?"

"Hell, yes." He painstakingly counted the minute fingers. "Being blessed with everything is a big responsibility."

A surprise of moisture prickled at her eyelids.

_Stupid hormones. _

"That's really how you feel?"

He lifted his eyes and skimmed her face, then Josh's, then lingered on the morsel in his arms. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Yeah."

She scrunched up her lids against the threatening flood, at the edge of her hearing caught the sound of Don's soft humming.

_Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band_.

The dampness brimmed over. Her heart swelled with a sense of fierce well being; she hid her face and breathed out something wordless, a barely formed thought, into Josh's hair.

In a less relentlessly rational person, it might almost be taken for a prayer of gratitude.

_You know, I delayed in posting this for the longest time, because it didn't seem quite finished to me. So I finally gave up and posted anyway, and darned if a fourth part didn't start playing in my head. So looks like there's one more to go - hopefully this weekend. _

_So, thanks so much for reading and all your kind comments, and look for Part IV._


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Well, when I first thought I finished this I realized a story called "Daddy's Girl" needed at least one section about Father and Daughter. I thought it should take me a day or two to put together. But. An emergency room visit (not for me) subsequent surgery, oncological consults and chemo and radiation, fully disrupted that. Definitely not the summer I had envisioned. So I apologize that it took me so long to finish. These things really are much more interesting in fan fiction. _

_Patty and Mrs. Graham Cracker, there will no doubt be more on Don and his family since they seem to have taken hold of me. I had originally planned to include Alan in the hospital scene, but it didn't work out that way. I still feel a need to bring him in at some point. Charlie is harder only because I would need to make some decisions about him and Amita and where they stand with children, and I confess I have not done so at this point. I hadn't even expected to do that with Don and Robin. This writing thing always surprises me - for example, I don't always plan to end with Don and Robin in bed, either, but somehow it always happens._

_Also Mrs. Graham Cracker, I was tickled that we had both chosen the same name for Don and Robin's daughter. Maybe an angel of God whispered in our ears. I hope you do post yours at some point. Anyway, apologies to all, and I hope that another piece I've been working on to follow Fifth Man (I was VERY disappointed not to have ANY Don/Robin time after Don regained consciousness) will be up soon. Certainly sooner than this ending._

**Part IV: Father and Daughter**

Robin stirred in her sleep, smiling drowsily at the soft cadence of endearments. She couldn't quite make out any words, though, just the tender tone, and she rolled closer, seeking contact. Her outflung arm touched empty sheet and she peered through half-drawn lids, patting the adjacent pillow where a familiar head should be. Nothing.

Disoriented, she dragged her eyes fully open, trying to locate the missing owner of the unmistakable voice. Her eyes stopped on the baby monitor. _Of course. _With a groan, she rolled onto her back. One of the really nice things about being married to a G-Man, she reflected, was that finely honed ability to wake from a dead sleep at the smallest sound and spring into action. Saved a bleary-eyed mother many a late night feeding. However…

She glanced at the clock and sighed. However, one of them had to be up and to work this morning, and it wasn't her. She forced herself to sit up and felt around for an available robe.

Poking her arms haphazardly into the sleeves, she staggered down the hall, not bothering to tie the robe closed. The voice grew louder as she neared the small nursery, amplified by the double echo of the monitor and the live sound. The door to the room was half-closed and she pushed it soundlessly inward, raising one hand to knock lightly, then paused instead.

The room was lit only by a stray shaft of moonlight and a Tinkerbell nightlight, the blend of light and shadow casting defined muscles and jaw and cheekbones into sharp relief, an odd contrast with the cooing rise and fall of the muted voice. Her eyes dampened and she cursed herself silently. _Damn those hormones _- motherhood and lactating turned an otherwise strong woman, impervious to sentiment, into some kind of bawling sissy-girl. She leaned into the doorjamb as Sadie cooed her response, miniscule fists waving in emphasis.

_On the other hand_…

No one ever told you that parenthood could cast your lover in such a new and different light, could you push you deeper into love with them on brand new levels you'd never even imagined. She smiled in the dark. Not that she'd have believed them if they'd tried. But seeing Don with their children…

It left her breathless. Weak-kneed. Aching with tenderness. Who could have foreseen it? Who could have known? Then again, in some way she had always known. She watched him rub noses with Sadie, saw Sadie grapple pliant fingers along the stubble on his cheeks, burbling merrily.

She could, she admitted grudgingly to herself, stand and watch this forever…and even a little longer…but…"Hey," she breathed. "It's late. Or early. And you have to be to work in a couple of hours."

He didn't quite glance up. "She was hungry," he explained.

"What else is new." Her eyes shifted to the empty bottle sitting on the changing table. "Still. Looks like she's done."

He made small tutting noises and Sadie gurgled back. "She likes to talk a little after she eats."

"Mm hm. That's because she's a flirt. Wonder who she gets that from?"

Don grinned at her over the fluff of curls dotting the tiny scalp, teeth a flash of white in the dark. "Maybe. But those are definitely _your_ eyes."

Robin moved in a little closer. "Well, good. It would be nice if at least one of our children showed some physical evidence that I'd been involved in the process - I mean aside from the swollen ankles and all the screaming at the end."

Don chuckled, rocking and shushing sweet nonsense into Sadie's tiny ear. "Oh, come on. Josh looks like you too."

"Does he." Robin's tone was dry. "Where?"

Don's grin broadened. "Okay, he doesn't - he totally looks like me. I was just trying to make you feel better." He blew a raspberry on Sadie's stomach and Robin couldn't suppress a smile at her trill of pleasure. "Can't help it - we Eppes have strong genes. That's how we survived all those people through the centuries plotting to kill all the Jews."

"Is that it." Robin poked a finger into one of Sadie's little starfish hands, smile deepening as her grip tightened around it and she hooted in happy little bursts. "Well, she's sure verbal - I have to assume _that's_ from me."

"She has a lot to say." He blew a raspberry on the sole of one miniature foot this time. "What do you think, sweetie? Gonna be a lawyer like your mama and grandmama? Maybe a Supreme Court Judge?" Sadie crowed and Don kissed the top of her head. "See? She's smart enough."

"Mm. Look at her drool. Clearly our child's a genius."

"Huh." Don stilled, studying the bundle in his arms more soberly. "You don't think - I mean, could that happen?"

Robin gave his shadowed profile a speculative glance, then looked back at the pointed little face. "I don't know. Charlie could tell you better, probably. Maybe she'll just be a top drawer athlete. Or a really good shot."

Don shifted the little bundle to his shoulder, curled one hand protectively over her head. "Maybe."

She couldn't quite read his tone. "So," she firmly changed the subject. "It's not that I don't appreciate it, but you don't have to do ALL the late night feedings. You have work in the morning. Actually, it is morning - you have work soon."

"I like it. It's kinda our time to play, right, princess?"

Sadie seemed to agree, if the noises she made were any indication.

"You can actually play with her in the daytime, you know."

"I know. I do. But I don't want Josh to feel like he's been pushed aside."

She opened her mouth to ask the obvious, closed it again firmly. He'd never give her an honest answer. And she was pretty sure she knew anyway. So instead she reached over and took their daughter from him. "Come on, Sadie. I know you're having fun, but Daddy needs his rest. It'll be pretty embarrassing tomorrow if his team hears snores over the communication system instead of commands."

"Oh, come on - I'm used to going without sleep."

"That doesn't mean it's a good idea. Or that it doesn't take its toll." She kissed the fuzzy head and placed Sadie back in the crib, tickled her stomach lightly. She sensed Don at her back, the subtle heat of his skin, his breath near the nape of her neck. She shuddered slightly. "Of course," she added slyly, "you could always call in sick."

His short laugh was right next to her ear. "I'm not sick."

She picked up his nearest hand and pulled it around her waist. "Even better. Play hooky."

The laugh sounded a little less certain this time, the burst of breath tickling her lobe, his hand automatically opening to spread over her abdomen. "Of course not. I have - like - a thousand things I need to do."

"Oh, come on…" She turned within his arm so that they were face to face, slid her hands around his neck. "Are you trying to tell me that you never played hooky when you were a kid? Because somehow or other, I always assumed…" she moved her mouth closer to his. "…that you were…just a _bit_…" her breath ghosted over his lips and she tightened herself against him "…of a bad…boy…"

The kiss was long and slow and easy and when he finally broke it, she gave a satisfied sigh.

He moved his mouth to brush along her ear. "…exaggerated rumors. All of it. My dad. Or Charlie. They both exaggerate."

"No, no - I figured this out all on my own…" she ran her hands along the play of muscle in his back, slid her fingers into his hair. "Come on…be bad…dear AD, I'm home sick…let somebody else chase the bad guys today…"

The gust of his laughter against her ear made her shiver. "Now who's being bad…?"

She leaned into him, let one hand dance across his shoulders to the small of his back…then lower. "I've always been bad…" she murmured into his mouth.

He groaned. "Robin…"

"You're not going to let me bad alone…are you…?" She smiled inwardly as his thumbs massaged her waist.

He sighed into her hair. "I have an hour anyway until the alarm goes off, right?"

She nipped at his lobe. "More, if you'd just call in." His wrist was bare, but she felt it twist reflexively. "Come on…Josh has that new glove you were going to show him how to break in…you can play with the kids…" She lowered her voice. "…you can play with me…"

She heard his breath catch. "You are a very bad influence, Mrs. Eppes."

"I'm trying."

One hand raked through her hair, then his forehead dropped to her shoulder with a sigh. "If you could see the reports on my desk…"

She blew on that sensitive spot on his neck. "Let David do them."

"David hates reports."

"Good. Good discipline."

"You're a fine one to be talking about discipline." But she could tell he was weakening. "There's the monthly expense accounts. It's just cruel to ask somebody else to do those."

"Yeah?" She found that little curl at his nape and smoothed it around one finger. "I'll bet somebody shuffled those right onto your desk first thing once upon a time and dusted off their hands with a smile." She was working her way along his ear now. He had very sensitive ears. "Payback time, Mr. I'll-Do-the-Dirty-Work."

Unfortunately, those words had the opposite affect she'd intended. His hands stilled in the roaming she had been enjoying very much and he frowned. "Do I still do that? I thought I'd gotten better with that."

_Damn the man. NOW he wants to talk?_

"You have," she soothed. "So no backsliding." She returned her attention to the ear.

"I mean, I took paternity leave for Sadie and everything. Not the whole three months, but..."

She sighed, directly into his ear canal. "All right." She placed a hand on either side of his face and turned it so she could look straight in his eyes. "All right, overly-responsible guy. You _have_ gotten better. You have. You have what could be officially described as a personal life now. You eat dinner sitting down more than a couple of times a week. Your children could pick you out of a line up. But you know what would really prove how far you've come?" She let one hand wander to trace the outline of an ear, then let her mouth follow. "…staying home."

She felt him shudder and his hands were on the move again. "..at least an hour, right? I mean, one way or another?"

This time she groaned. "I want more than an hour! I want - all day! Lounging, dozing, waking…"

Don's chuckle was close to _her_ ear now. "You remember the two kids, right? How you think that's gonna happen?"

"Hm." She took a step back so she could see his face, skimmed one hand down his cheek. "I see. Well, I know you can say _"no" _to me, but…" she reached into the crib and lifted Sadie, held her right in front of him. "Can you say no to _her_?"

Sadie had been busily trying to stuff one entire fist into her mouth, but she abandoned her efforts cheerfully for this new game, waving her arms happily in anticipation.

Don's face was a study, softening helplessly. He gave Robin a reproachful glance. "Shame on you. C'mere, sweetie." He took Sadie from her, dropped a kiss on top of her head. "Let's put you where Mama can't use you for her evil ends." Sadie giggled, bouncing merrily.

Robin smiled. "See? We girls stick together."

"That's what I'm afraid of." He lowered her back into the crib, pulling the crocheted blanket over her, then leaned his folded arms on top of the crib rail, just looking.

Robin slipped her arms around his waist from behind and hooked her chin over his shoulder so she could look too. "We'll get him next time, Sadie."

"Yeah, I can see I'm going to get walked all over around here." Don stroked a finger over one round little cheek and Sadie chortled in reply. "She's something, isn't she?"

"Mm hm. Daddy's little girl already." Robin studied the roseleaf face. _Something else no one ever told you - that you could watch your child do essentially nothing for hours on end, transfixed and fascinated._ "…where do you suppose she got the dimples?"

Don was silent a moment, running a finger over the other velvet cheek. "My Mom," he answered quietly at last.

Tightening her grip, Robin closed her eyes and leaned her forehead into the back of his head, kissed his nape. "All right. Let's leave Sadie to sleep - or snack on her toes, whichever seems more attractive right now - and you get a little more sleep before you have to rise and shine."

"Sleep?" Don tore his gaze away from the little figure in the crib. "Hey, that's not what you were offering a minute ago!"

Robin tugged him gently away from the crib. "That's when I thought I could talk you into staying home. You need your rest."

"My _rest_." Don let her lead him away from the nursery and into the master bedroom, then pressed her into the door, shutting it firmly behind them. "My _rest_. This is just what I need to get me started for the day." He kissed her then, so thoroughly that she found she was having a little trouble remembering how to breathe. She cupped her hands around his head, held him there.

"You realize I can't just call in for nothing," he managed between kisses.

She grunted something indistinct, fingers busy on his chest, enjoyed his sharp intake of breath.

"I mean, I'm the boss. I have to…set an example."

She made a noise that could have been assent, mouth at the hollow of his throat, hands much lower. She lost her breath in an audible gasp as he swung her up into his arms, carried her over to the bed, stretched out next to her and brushed his lips over hers.

"I need…a real reason," he whispered.

She rolled until she was on top, propped herself on her elbows over him and then sank down for a real kiss, slow and deep and lingering.

He kept his eyes closed for a minute when she finished, as if he was reliving the kiss, then half opened them, running a thumb along her cheekbone and down her neck. His eyes were cloudy with desire, but deep in their dark depths she caught a subdued twinkle.

"An hour anyway, right?" The suggestion of a sly smile quirked at the corners of his lips. "Unless - who knows - maybe you'll wear me out."

She gave a low laugh and dragged the sheet over them both. "You know me," she breathed against his ear. "I love a challenge."

_Finis_


End file.
